The Gonzalez family owns about 9 barber shops and a barber college in San Antonio, Seguin and Floresville. The barber college (pictured) and six of those locations are among 10 properties that were forfeited to the feds as part of plea deals. Click forward to see the San Antonio-area properties seized and sold.

The Gonzalez family owns about 9 barber shops and a barber college in San Antonio, Seguin and Floresville. The barber college (pictured) and six of those locations are among 10 properties that were forfeited to

The Gonzalez family owns about 9 barber shops and a barber college in San Antonio, Seguin and Floresville. The barber college (pictured) and six of those locations are among 10 properties that were forfeited to the feds as part of plea deals. Click forward to see the San Antonio-area properties seized and sold.

The Gonzalez family owns about 9 barber shops and a barber college in San Antonio, Seguin and Floresville. The barber college (pictured) and six of those locations are among 10 properties that were forfeited to

The federal government auctioned nine San Antonio-area properties Wednesday, including four former barber shops, that were seized from a heroin-smuggling ring that brought in about $8 million of the drug in 2014 and 2015.

The properties, which sold for a total of more than $1.4 million, were among more than 20 targeted for seizure during a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the IRS’ Criminal Investigation division into the operators of Acapulco Barber Shops in 2015. The remaining properties are tied up in litigation or other legalities.

Salvador Gonzalez, 54, and one of his sons, Adrian Gonzalez, 32, were among eight people charged in the case. The Gonzalezes, who owned the Acapulco chain and a barber college on the West Side, and their accomplices were sent to federal prison after pleading guilty to heroin-trafficking conspiracy and money laundering-related charges. Authorities said the ring brought in so much heroin between 2014 and 2015 that it was a go-to supplier for the prison-based Texas Mexican Mafia.

More than 80 people, including lawyers, investors, real estate agents, contractors and barbers, packed a conference room Wednesday afternoon at the Rivercenter Marriott for the auction of eight of the properties in San Antonio. A separate auction was held Wednesday morning at one of the former barber shops at 1409 10th Street in Floresville.

No one connected to the Gonzalez family or the ring was allowed to bid, Mike Lewis of CWS Marketing Group, which handles the auctions for the federal government, announced to bidders.

The San Antonio properties that sold included the former barber college at 364 Castroville Road; former barber shops at 7519 Somerset Road, 1828 Nogalitos St. and 356 Moursund Blvd.; houses in the 100 block of Rivas Street and in the 300 block of Moursund Boulevard; an appliance repair shop at 1124 N. Zarzamora St.; and a vacant commercial lot at 3727 Nogalitos St.

Rolando Leal, McElroy’s business partner and Square Foot’s managing broker, said in a phone interview afterward that there are no firm plans for the properties yet.

“From our perspective, we’re always looking for investment opportunities in strong retail corridors,” Leal said. “We’re going to evaluate the properties and see what’s a good strategy. Some properties we hold, some we might sell.”

Leal noted that his group is aware of the properties’ criminal-tainted past.

“We love working with local mom and pop business owners,” Leal said. “Obviously, you want to have a good environment in your neighborhood and we’re very cognizant of that.”

The vacant lot brought in the most during the auctions: $440,000.

“It was getting close to my cutoff point,” said Randy Vail, owner of Vail Investments, who won the lot in a bidding war. “It’s an acre — it’s hard to find on Nogalitos — and it’s on a corner. Centro Med is building across the street.”

Vail said he has car dealer tenants looking for possible locations and the lot might make a good prime spot “for a nice auto sales lot.”

Mark and Valerie Garza, who run two Dapper G Cuts barber shops, wanted to buy at least one barber shop but left empty-handed.

“It was our first time,” Mark Garza said. “I knew more or less (the money it takes) from talking to some friends, but now I know.”

Troy A. Caldron, supervisory special agent of the IRS Criminal Investigation division in San Antonio, was happy with the turnout and what the auctions brought in.

Caldron credited his agency’s partnership with other law enforcement agencies in helping dismantle a criminal ring.

“One of the things we take pride in is our financial investigations, and this here puts the cherry on top,” Caldron said.